Phillies 10 - 6 Brewers
Final
  for this game

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Apr 23, 2016 - 5:57 AM Maikel Franco ended his recent woes in emphatic fashion and allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to surpass last season's win total against the Milwaukee Brewers in just one game.

Charlie Morton seeks to double that with another proficient outing Saturday night at Miller Park while Franco and the Phillies attempt to provide him with more ample run support.

Franco hit a pair of home runs Friday in a 5-2 victory that snapped Philadelphia's seven-game skid against the Brewers (7-10) from 2015. Aaron Nola also yielded one run in seven innings in the Phillies' third straight road win, putting them one shy of matching last season's longest streak there.

Franco also singled while ending a 3-for-29 slump.

"We talked to him before the game about pulling the ball," manager Pete Mackanin said. "A lot of guys work so much on going to the opposite field. If you think about pulling the ball, then you stay back a little more."

Morton (1-1, 3.86 ERA) will try to get Philadelphia (8-9) to that victory with his third consecutive quality start. The right-hander gave up one run in six innings Sunday against Washington, but the Phillies needed 10 innings for a 3-2 victory.

"That's some of the best stuff I've seen from him in the couple of years that I have faced him," Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper said.

Morton fanned seven in 6 2/3 innings in a 3-0 win over San Diego on April 12 and has struck out 13 in his past two games.

He went 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his three starts against Milwaukee last season while with Pittsburgh but wasn't his sharpest in his lone outing at Miller Park. He gave up four runs in six innings in a 4-1 loss July 17 and is 1-3 with a 5.05 ERA in six lifetime starts there.

Chase Anderson (1-1, 2.25) had contrasting performances in his two matchups against Philadelphia in 2015 while with Arizona. He gave up one run and three hits in 5 1-3 innings in a 4-3 loss May 15 and was tagged for five runs and nine hits in five-plus innings in a 7-6 defeat Aug. 12.

The right-hander gave up five runs and a career-high 11 hits in a 7-4 loss in Minnesota on Monday after yielding three unearned runs over 11 innings in his first two starts.

"I just didn't have any command from the get-go," Anderson told MLB's official website. "I felt decent in my bullpen, and coming into the game I couldn't get everything synced up. When you can't locate the fastball, it's usually a long night for most starting pitchers."

Ryan Braun will try to aid Anderson in this outing by adding to his .348 career average against Morton. Kirk Nieuwenhuis is 3 for 5 with a home run while Aaron Hill and Martin Maldonado are both 4 for 7.

Jonathan Lucroy is at the other end of the spectrum at 1 for 16, and only his 0-for-17 showing against Clayton Kershaw is worse against pitchers he's faced at least 15 times.






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